Trump had said on CBS’ “60 Minutes” that the U.S. should not interfere with Islamic extremists trying to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad “and thenwe pick up the remnants” of the battle.

Speaking in Keene, New Hampshire, the construction magnate criticised USA plans to take in Syrian refugees fleeing the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the country caused by a four and a half year-long civil war.

The Syrian civil war has led to the highest refugee population in the world, with over 4 million refugees having fled Syria to neighboring Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, and Egypt, according to United Nations data.

He alsosaid Syrians should be “fighting for their country” rather than leaving.

Earlier this month, Secretary of StateJohn Kerry announced the US would accept 85,000 refugees from around the world next year and take in another 100,000 in 2017.

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush, the son of one former president and the brother of another, described Mr Trump’s comments on the Syrian refugees as “a disgusting thing”. We’re not going to accept 200,000 people that may be [Islamic State militants].

“Now they’re going into Syria, there are so many traps, there are so many problems”. Specifically, the U.S.is meant to take in more refugees from Syria, the Middle East and parts of Africa as conflict continues to worsen. “A 200,000-man army, maybe”, he later added.

The billionaire, who is the current frontrunner in the Republican race for the White House, told a crowd of supporters: “If Iwin, they’re going back“.

Trump has madeimmigration a key issue headed into next year’s presidential elections, from his perch at the top of the Republican field.

“Iknowa lot of people would say “that’s not nice”. “My party has historically nominated someone who is a mainstream conservative and someone who has a foundation of foreign policy that gives people confidence that they can guide the ship of state in troubled waters”. “We will send allthese ISIS people.’ So a bigpercentage could be them”.

Bush admitted that there is a potential security risk from refugees, and said that there will need to be screenings to makesure unsafe people are not allowed into the country.